Kasey Kahne: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series – Indianapolis Preview

NEWS & NOTES

NEW HAMPSHIRE RECAP: Most recently, Kasey Kahne finished 11th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14. He improved two spots in the driver standings and now ranks 10th.

SEASON-TO-DATE: In the first 19 Sprint Cup races this season, Kahne ranks first with 533 of the fastest laps run and fastest speed in traffic (5.947 average ranking). He ranks third in green-flag speed (6.000 average ranking) and fourth in fastest drivers early in a run (7.000). His 99.7 driver rating is fourth-best as are his 400 laps led, and he ranks fifth among fastest drivers late in a run (7.929). His average start in 19 starts is 8.9, and his average finish is 17.0.

KAHNE AT INDIANAPOLIS: In nine Cup starts at Indianapolis, Kahne has two top-five finishes and four top-10s, including a runner-up result in 2005. He has qualified in the top 10 six times at the Brickyard. In this event last year, Kahne started 15th and finished 12th.

INDIANAPOLIS LOOP STATISTICS: During the last eight races at Indianapolis, Kahne ranks inside the top 10 in most statistical categories recorded by NASCAR loop data. Notably, he ranks fourth in fastest drivers early in a run (171.107 mph) and speed in traffic (167.718 mph). His 88 career laps led at Indy rank him fifth. Kahne also is fifth in the following categories: laps run in the top 15 (926), quality passes (210) and fastest laps run (58, tied with Greg Biffle).

SPEEDWAY STATS: Kahne has collected three of his 15 career Cup wins and six of his 26 pole positions on tracks two miles or longer in length. In 103 starts on tracks two miles or longer, Kahne has posted 22 top-five finishes and 39 top-10s. Kahne has scored wins on both of the Cup circuit’s two-mile ovals, finding Victory Lane at Michigan International Speedway and Fontana, Calif., in 2006.

INDIANAPOLIS DOUBLE: In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet SS this weekend at Indianapolis, Kahne will pilot JR Motorsports’ No. 5 Chevrolet in the 250-mile NASCAR event on Saturday afternoon.

HENDRICK AT INDY: Most recently, Jimmie Johnson went to Victory Lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July 2012, recording his fourth career win at the famed 2.5-mile speedway and the eighth for Hendrick Motorsports. Johnson and teammate Jeff Gordon rank tied for first among NASCAR competition with four career victories there. The Hendrick Motorsports duo has combined to win eight of the 19 Cup events that have been held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. In addition to those eight victories, Hendrick Motorsports has 21 top-five finishes and 31 top-10s in 19 races (65 starts) there.

ALL-TIME: Johnson and Gordon, with four Brickyard wins apiece, rank tied for second with four-time Indy 500 victors A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser. The five drivers trail Formula One’s Michael Schumacher, a five-time winner at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, on the all-time major motor sports list at the historic track.

CHEVY STREAK: Chevrolet has won 14 of the 19 Sprint Cup events held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including the last 10 straight. In addition, a Chevy has started from the Brickyard 400 pole position eight times.

QUOTES

KASEY KAHNE, DRIVER, NO. 5 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET SS (ON RACING AT INDIANAPOLIS MOTOR SPEEDWAY.): “I lived in Indianapolis for three years and watched tons of (Indianapolis) 500s and Brickyard 400s over the years so I really want to win there. I would just love to at some point in time. I came close a few different times. I gave it away in 2005, and we’ve been close a couple other times and just haven’t got it done. But it’s a neat track. It’s a really precise, technical place that seems like you can just miss your mark by a little bit and really slow down your speed of lap, especially with those long straightaways. So it’s a neat place, and I enjoy qualifying there because you can run so hard and then the race is pretty cool, too.”